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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Hi ya everyone!Meljen's Designs challenge blog has a super cute sketch this week made by our wonderful Design Team member Di!!! I love the sketch and tried to do this card from memory as I created this while at the CKC crop last weekend. I have a really hard time creating in large groups because I'm always SO interested in what everyone else is doing. I was with a group of very talented ladies too which makes it even more distracting. You have to check out my friend Jen's blog! I can't wait for her to post her ever so cute layout that she worked on too. Click HERE to check out her blog!
Now, the Meljen's Designs release this week is adorable and all the adorable images can be found HERE at Whimsy Stamps.

My card for this week wasn't very good - I told you I lost a bit of mojo with all this crafting convention and Cricut Stampede stuff! It's very intimidating to go into a room FILLED with creative people...it's almost like overload. I want to try so many different things that my head gets jammed full and well the result is a very simple card like this...Sheila at She's A Sassy Lady says "it's not a lack of mojo and there is no such thing" so I won't say that...but how about a lack of creative flow..LOL...I LOVE the image that I colored with my Copics however...

but I'm not thrilled with my paper choices here...it's also a little plain! Anyhow, head over to the Meljen's Challenge blog and look at all of that wonderful inspiration!!! LOL

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hi ya everyone!
This week at Crafty Creations we are creating cards with Bunnies on them!!! Our new DT member Peggy picked this wonderful challenge and I was so excited to use this ever so cute Bunny Card that I created using Meljen's Designs image called Cuddle Bun Buddies - and can be found HERE. I also used some delicious Echo Park paper called Spring Time that I picked up this weekend at the CKC convention in Portland. This card really needs no explanation. I used my Copics to color the image.

Cut the background for the bunnies with my lacy square nestables and added a brown bow and some flower punches! Thanks for stopping by today and please head over to Crafty Creations and enter our challenge!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Hi ya everyone!
This week at Tiddly Inks we are celebrating the AWESOME designer and owner of Tiddly Inks. Christy (her blog HERE) is such a fun and sweet person and that is reflected in all of her designs at Tiddly Inks - so stop by her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday! So please join us for her Birthday celebration by stopping by the Tiddly Inks store and picking up an image and guess what SSSSAAAAALLLLLLLEEEE - today only!!! If you can't spend the money then pick up a freebie HERE and join us for our challenge in honor of Christy. The Tiddly Inks challenge is so simple - create a card using your Tiddly image with red, black and white!!! EASY enough! Please join us - it will be so much fun!

I made a real simple card for this challenge because I fear my mojo is lacking after all the crafting shows I've been too! So I needed a quick and easy and luckily for me this image can stand alone because she is just too cute! HappyQ is her name and can be found right HERE! I colored her with my Copics and finished her with a white gelly role and added some little flowers to her skirt.

I repeated the pattern on a black strip of paper too. I stamped a Birthday sentiment but unfortunately on this paper it didn't show up so well.

Added some cute buttons to the side and a small flower from a punch and was finished! Please head over to the Tiddly Inks challenge blog and join the fun!

NEW IMAGES IN THE STORE TOO - OH SO ADORABLE!!!! ALL CAN BE FOUND HERE!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Hi ya everyone! Another darling release at Meljen's Designs and all can be found at Whimsy Stamps right HERE. Take a look:

Perfect images for those girly cards that we all love to make! I loved this image called Girl Talk. Reminded me so much of my oldest. Gabbing a mile a minute about how she likes to have fun! I colored the girl in Copics to match this adorable paper I have from DCWV called Girl Stack - I think!

Actually all the papers are from this stack except for the pink which I grabbed out of my Reds and Pinks Cricut stack. The challenge this week is to use punches - so I used my little heart border and corner punch from Martha Stewart.

The sentiment is from a clear stamp set I bought that's all about girls. Don't remember who made it though. I then cut the sentiment out in a set of nestables! Thanks for taking a look at my oh so girly card. Head over to Meljen's Design Challenge blog and join the fun - but don't forget to pick up some stamps at Whimsy while you are at it!
Hugs

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Hi ya everyone! This week at Crafty Creations we are asking our followers to make a card that will put us in stitches or has stitches! I did both! I love this little Hearty Hippo from Meljen's Design which can be found HERE. The first time I saw this image all I could think of was does this heart make my butt look big! I colored him in Copics.

Cut the image out in my nestables and used the DCWV buttlerfly stack. I added some stitching and then computer generated the sentiment! A quick and easy little card that is so fun!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Oh my gosh - gorgeous right...now what struck me about this photo was really two things - first and foremost the colors - I love them - soft and gorgeous, the second was the woman all alone in this gorgeousness. So I chose this image from Tiddly Inks - Chi and she can be found HERE.

I colored her with Copics and then glittered her wrap. I cut her out and set her to the side. I didn't even search through my papers to see if I had something similar - I really wanted to create my own background that represented what I felt from the photo Meredith gave us.

I used my watercolor paper and gathered three Tim Holtz inks: Weathered Wood, Tattered Rose and Milled lavender. First, I stamped each ink pad on my large acrylic block and then took my watercolor brush and swirled the background with these colors. Next, I grabbed these awesome Inkadinkadoo stamps and used the Tattered Rose and Milled lavender to stamp the flowers in the background.

Then I added some gems with my iRock and then stopped. This is exactly what I wanted to create using that photo and this lovely image from Tiddly Inks - a lonely girl in gorgeous colors. Now in my excitement I forgot to make a shaped card!!! So the challenge is to make a shaped card and use the photo for inspiration! So head over to the challenge blog and join us - make sure to use a Tiddly Image!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Hi ya everyone!
I am at She's A Sassy Lady again today to share a tutorial. I love Sheila's blog because each day she has tutorials that help me learn new techniques. I feel so honored to be part of her design team and want to give her a special thank you! Thank you Sheila! Now, on to my card for today. I hear a number of people complain about the cost of Spellbinders Nestabilities. I love them and am willing to pay the cost. They make things so easy. However, if you've invested in a Cricut you don't want to spend the extra money for more things that might not be necessary. So today I've created a tutorial using your Gypsy and Expression - you could use Design Studio or SCAL too.
First I colored this sweet little bunny from Meljen's Designs in my Copics. I cut her out using my paper trimmer to the size I wanted. I'm not limited by a nestable size now.

Next, I grabbed my Gypsy and using George and Basic Shapes created an exact match of the bunny rectangle using my Actual Size button.

I use this as a template only and will not cut this square on my Expressions. Next, I find a shape I like to be a background edge to the bunny. I like the scalloped square shape and chose this from Mini Monograms along with the shapes shadow.

I then lined each image together to make sure the desired measurements were accurate.

Then I separated the images and deleted the rectangle template. I then laid each scalloped square out on my G like this.

I then chose papers that I liked to match my image. These are left over scraps from a set of Stampin' Up paper (patterned) and solids from my Blues and Earth tone Cricut Stack.

I cut out my scalloped rectangles on my Expressions next and laid out my card.

I like this card already but thought some sweet embellishments would make it nicer. I don't have a lot of flowers and pretty stickers laying around to match so I decided to use my cheap little punches to make some cute flowers and embellishments.

I simply punch out a few shapes in matching papers and layer them with a tiny bit of glue. To the flowers I add small pearls to the center.

After finishing a number of these small embellishments I decide to use a bit of stitching on my card.

I have brown thread already in my machine. What I want to show you is how to make a nice corner with your sewing machine in case you don't already know how. First, I adhere my pieces that I want to stitch with a single small swipe of ATG adhesive right in the middle.

I don't want my needle to pass through adhesive. Next I place my card in my machine and sew a stitch starting at one corner and feeding down to the next corner. At this point I LEAVE my needle in the paper and gently twist the paper to the next side to stitch - never taking the needle out. Your last stitch on one side is your next stitch on the next side.

Here is the final corner after stitching all the way around using this method.

I did the same to the small bunny image too.

After my stitching was complete I added all the layers and embellishments. Now you have a look like you used the nestables from Spellbinders but you used what you might already have!

Thanks for checking out my tutorial today! If you have any questions please ask away in the comments section! I also love to here your positive thoughts too! Thanks for stopping by and you can find more fun projects and tutorial at She's A Sassy Lady!!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Hi ya everyone! This week Meljen's Design has the cutest release and all can be found at Whimsy Stamps right HERE...it's just so perfect for Easter, and babies and birthdays, and friends and well anything really!! I love this new release - check it out!

The challenge this week at the Meljen's Design Challenge blog is DOTS!!! We want to see those dots! Now, I made this cute little card using Cuddle Bun Baby. I think this bunny image is perfect for a little girl baby card or even a birthday card.

I'm NOT going to tell you how I made this card at all today - BECAUSE on Monday I will have a full tutorial at She's A Sassy Lady. You might say - so what, it's a card. BUT before you decide not to check out the tutorial - those scalloped squares behind this image....

NOT NESTABLES!!! I love my nestabilities from Spellbinders - I'll be the first to admit that they are quick and easy and I LOVE them....but let's be honest they are pricey - so I used my Cricut instead...and I'll show you how! But you'll have to check back on Monday here or She's A Sassy Lady!!
Hugs!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Hi ya everyone - this week at Crafty Creations we are asking everyone to show us their Mom's Day cards. The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring this week and I picked this adorable little flower cart. I colored the image with Copics and used my new nestable set to cut it out.

All the paper on this card is from the Echo Park stack Life Is Good. I love this paper - it cuts like butter on the Cricut and it looks gorgeous in general!!! I love it - bright colors and fun designs.

I added a bit of stitching for fun and to dress up the card a bit and then added the MOM sentiment also from the Echo Park set. Please join us at Crafty Creations this week for your chance to win a gift from The Stamping Boutique.

Please Note:

Please feel free to scrap-lift any project you see! However, I ask kindly that any recreation not be entered into any competitions or be used for profit or publication. Thank you!!email: mfc dot melissamade2 at gmail dot com